The Weight of Living
by dontjudgemyusername
Summary: "I made the heavens bleed and and the punishment was not just mine to bare." Lucy was taken aback by the strange words from an even stranger man. Just who was he exactly? And what of the other pink haired mystery that sat in her class? There was more to these two than what meets the eye, and Lucy needed to uncover their secrets before it was too late.
1. Prologue

A/N: Hey guys! So this is my first multi chapter fic, and I'm planning on posting in October! I'm just trying to get some chapters written out before my classes start so I'm not too preoccupied with either writing or studying. Here's the prologue for now ^^

 _I can't do this anymore. This is so_ boring _._

This isn't a good idea…

 _I. Don't. Care._

…Fine, but I'm telling you now, I don't have the time or will power to clean up any of your messes.

 _Dear brother, I don't want you butting into my business anyway. You won't have to deal with me here and I won't be complaining every five seconds. It's a win – win._

I'm going to ask one last time. You can't just walk in and out of here as you please. Are you sure you want to leave?

 _So long, brother._


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here's the first chapter finally! It took me long enough and to be honest, I was planning for weekly updates, but as of now, it looks like it'll be every other week. I'm aiming to update every other Sunday~**  
 **I hope you enjoy this story!**

* * *

The blonde bolted upright in her seat, awakened from the shrill ringing of the bell signaling the end of class. She groggily looked around to find half of the class empty and saw the remaining students trickle out the door. She stifled a yawn as she stretched and grabbed her bag.

"Ms. Heartfilia, it isn't like you to sleep in class. I'm letting you off with a warning this time. It better not happen again." Lucy nodded to her teacher as she left class, still under a sleep spell. She couldn't manage to wake herself up as she sluggishly shuffled to her locker to retrieve her books.

"Gray, I think Lucy's trying to go for a new look." Lucy looked over to where the voice was coming from and saw her friends Gray and Cana walking over to her. She tried to smile at them, but ended up yawning again.

"Lucy, you have some drool…on the side of your mouth," Gray said as he motioned to the corner of his mouth.

"Hey guys," Lucy said as she grabbed some books and placed them in her bag. She tried splashing a little water from her water bottle on her face in an attempt to wake herself up…and clean the drool.

Lucy wiped it away as best she could without a mirror. "Why are you so tired? I've never seen you like this, even after pulling an all-nighter to study for a test," the brunette asked.

Lucy pulled out two packets of paper. "Because I was working on this all night for the both of you. You can't fail another class or you won't be able to graduate with us. You'll have one of those lame summer school graduations and I can't allow that to happen. You two owe me big time for this. Got it?"

"Lucy, how many times have I told you not to do this?" Gray sighed. Although he was extremely thankful, Gray always scolded her for being too nice. "I appreciate this, but no more. Lemme just deal with the F and we can move on."

"But you need Government to graduate, and it's not a class you can fail…" Lucy said stifling a yawn.

"I don't care what Gray says, thank you so much!" Cana gave Lucy a sideways hug, rubbing her check against Lucy's.

"Alright, alright." Lucy shoved Cana off of her and wore a smile as she closed her locker and headed for her next class. The two were trailing behind, checking out Lucy's handiwork.

On her way to class, Lucy noticed her best friend, Levy, in the administration office. There were a few people with her whom Lucy didn't recognize but could tell they were police officers form their uniforms. There was one person who caught her eye though: Jellal. But what was he doing here? And with Levy? He was Head Detective of the New Frelryne Police Department. Lucy continued to walk to class, noting to ask Levy about it later.

Class was hectic as usual when the trio walked in. They made their way to their seats, managing to avoid getting hit by the football that was flying around the classroom.

The trio said nothing as they settled down, waiting for class to start. Once the teacher walked in, the class calmed down and proceeded as usual. At this point, Lucy was awake, but she couldn't stop her mind from wandering. Levy hadn't come to class all day, and she also didn't mention anything to Lucy. She was worried for her friend and wasn't able to follow the lecture for the day.

Once the bell ran for lunch, Lucy was pulled away by her friends to their spot outside on the grass. The courtyard they ate in was a big grassy area, littered with old trees, walkways that led to various locations around campus, and an old church. The church was located to the group's left in the middle of two class buildings, still in use since the previous Frelryne existed. It had gone through 250 years of wear and tear, but still stood strong.

It was a nice day with a clear sky and light breeze. They sat down under a big oak tree after setting a blanket down.

About ten minutes later, Levy walked up to the group, exhaustion written all over her face. Her bright eyes were dull and puffy. Adding to her appearance was her wild hair, looking more unruly than usual. "Hey guys," she said weakly as she sat down.

"Levy what's wrong? Are you okay? You didn't go to class all day and I saw you in the administration office with Jellal." Lucy bombarded her best friend with question, not allowing for any response in between.

"Umm, about that…" Levy hesitated. "You guys know the girl I tutor? Wendy?" The three of them nodded silently. "Well, I went to her house on Sunday. It had been about thirty minutes since her parents left, when I got a call from her asking to come over sooner." Levy took a shaky breath. "She didn't specify why, she just sounded scared. I assumed that the poor child wasn't used to being home alone. When I got there, no one answered the door. I looked around to see if I could see inside the windows, but I didn't see anyone. I found the spare key and went inside, calling out Wendy's name."

Levy was shaking. Her tears wouldn't stop. Lucy looked at her with concern, Gray and Cana worried as well. Cana moved and wrapped her arm around Levy's shoulders. "When I got no reply, I went to her room. I found her laying on the floor of her room, pale and not moving. I called the police and tried to perform CPR on her, but I was too late….The doctor said that she had to be dead for at least an hour at that point. When I told the police about the phone call, they looked into it and found evidence that proves someone else was with her." Levy buried her face in her hands, sobbing. "There were signs of struggle on her body, hand prints on her neck. I just wish I had gotten there sooner."

Cana rubbed Levy's back as Lucy leaned over to give her best friend a hug. "It'll be okay. The police will figure out who did this," Lucy said quietly. Her heart broke even though she didn't know the little girl that well. They sat in silence, until a shadow fell upon them. Everyone looked up and Levy tried her best to calm down and wipe her face.

"Good afternoon ladies, Gray." The short, white-haired man nodded at the students before continuing. "Levy, do you think you'll be up to do the tour today? It's okay if you don't want to, we'll find someone else to-"

"No, Principal Makarov. I can do it. I can't just sit and mope, I need to move forward. I'll go show him around right now." Levy stood up, Lucy surprised by her response. Not even five seconds ago, Levy had been crying on Cana's shoulder. Now she had stopped shaking and managed to stop the tears.

"Levy, are you sure?" Cana asked.

Levy faked the best smile she could after wiping away her final tears. "Yeah. There's a new kid that I have to show around. His name is Natsu, transfer student. When he officially starts, I want you guys to help him feel more comfortable around here, understand?"

The three were left in their quiet demeanors. Cana couldn't bring herself to talk about the party she was planning and Lucy was staring in the direction Levy walked away in. She was worried for her – she knew Levy would feel responsible for this. Lucy sighed as lunch ended and began to pack her things.

Cana place her arm around Lucy's shoulders as they walked back into the school. "It'll all be okay," she said with a sad smile.

For some reason, Lucy's heart sank hearing those words.


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Here's chapter two! Introduction to Natsu and Jelly backstory! Enjoy! So many exclamation points…

It had been two weeks since the death of Wendy. Two weeks where Lucy had to live with her dad on edge. Two weeks where Levy got little to no sleep.

There was no new news on Wendy's killer, nor had there been any additional killings. As scared as everyone was, life kept moving on. Lucy realized the death of one little girl wasn't going to stop her teachers from assigning homework or tests, and it wasn't going to make them sympathetic to tardiness or late work.

Lucy walked in the shuffle of students, heading to her next class. Her movements had been robotic, and her mind drifting. When she entered class, everyone was back to how they normally were – rowdy and loud. Lucy sat down and begun to take out her notebook and pencils. Right before class began, Levy walked in with a new face. She gave him a quick smile before sitting down in front of Lucy.

Lucy leaned over her desk to poke her best friend on her shoulder with a pencil. "Who's that?"

"The new kid, Natsu," Levy replied over her shoulder.

Lucy sat back in her seat. She watched as he talked to the teacher, how he calmly looked around the class. When he looked at Lucy, she noticed some earrings peeking through his spiky, pink hair. His posture was relaxed, yet he gave off a nervous vibe. Lucy failed to recognize if she was the nervous one or if it was him. He looked back at the teacher who was pointing in Lucy's direction. Lucy sat up straight not knowing what to do. She felt her heart race and her stomach drop as he walked over to her. Lucy froze as he walked passed her to the seat behind Cana. She didn't know how long she sat there, paralyzed, but she released her breath when Levy started waving papers in Lucy's face to pass backwards.

The rest of class, Lucy felt uncomfortable and lightheaded. She couldn't help but feel like the new guy's presence was suffocating her. She managed to make it through class and wasted no time in leaving once the bell rang signaling the end of class. She ignored the calls of Gray and Levy as she ran off to the front of the school.

She stood in front of the school gate, unsure of what her next move was. A tap on the shoulder made Lucy jump out of her skin.

"Are you okay there, miss?" the officer asked.

Lucy panicked. If she was caught skipping school, she would be in big trouble, not only with the principal, but also with her father. "Uhh…" Lucy's mind wasn't working. Just as she was about to tell him the truth, a familiar voice came to her rescue.

"I'll talk to her, go back to your patrol station." Lucy looked over the officer's shoulder and saw Jellal walking up to her. She let out a sigh of relief as the officer left her alone.

"What are you doing Lucy? Don't you know that you'll be in big trouble for leaving in the middle of the day without a proper reason?" Jellal placed his hands in his coat pockets.

Lucy looked at her feet. "I know…but I couldn't stay in there any longer."

"What do you mean?" Jellal had been like an older brother to Lucy, and as surprised as he was by her actions right now, the murder case was weighing heavily on him. He didn't have time to talk to Lucy, but he couldn't help his concern for her.

Lucy shrugged. "There was a new kid in class today and the minute he walked passed me, I felt like I couldn't breathe. So I came running out here once class ended, not knowing what I was doing."

"Sounds to me like you have a crush. New kid stole your breath?" Jellal mocked.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "No, I'm being serious. I literally couldn't breathe. It was like someone was choking me. I still feel like there's a hand around my throat." Lucy gently touched her neck. Jellal placed the back of his hand on Lucy's forehead. "What are you – "

"I figured you haven't been taking care of yourself. Stay here, I'll be right back." Jellal walked into the school without another word. She sat down on the curb as she waited for his return. There was a cool breeze, which wasn't surprising this time of year in New Frelryne. It started to get chilly pretty quickly; it's as if the weather skips from summer to winter, no sign of fall except for a rare two or three days.

Lucy shivered, her thin, short sleeve shirt and shorts failing to protect her from the wind. She felt something being placed on her shoulders and saw Jellal continue on towards the parking lot.

"Ya coming, chicklit?" Jellal asked as he continued to go to his car. Lucy pulled the coat over her shoulders as she got up and ran towards him.

"You should take you jacket back, you'll get sick," Lucy said matter-o-factly.

They both got into Jellal's car. "Look who's talking. I told administration that I'm taking you home. I also called your dad. When we get to your house, you're going to your room and changing into something warmer while I make you something to eat. We're stopping by the drugstore first though," he explained as he drove. Lucy had been so fixated on the murder, Levy, and now this new kid, that she hadn't noticed how she was feeling. She slowly placed her hand on her forehead, surprised by how warm it was. She reached over to feel Jellal's forehead, and touched hers again.

Lucy sunk in her seat. She had a fever. The stress had gotten to her, and the weather change had allowed for the opportunity for a virus to thrive inside her. "Won't I get you sick too?"

Jellal chuckled. "I can work from home. You can't. Don't worry about me."

The two rode in silence. Lucy watched the town pass her by. Days like this made her feel nostalgic. Thoughts of her mom came to her. This was the town she grew up in. Lucy only moved here after her mother passed away since it was her dream to see Lucy grown up in the same town she did. She moved into town when she was eleven, in the middle of the school year, and it took her some time before she finally felt comfortable here. She met Jellal through her mom before she moved here though. She was about five. He was the opposite of her – a quiet child, never really saying much – but he was always there for her. He always made sure Lucy had a friend.

After stopping along the way to pick up some medicine and some ingredients for a proper meal, they finally reached Lucy's house. She unlocked the door and Jellal placed all the bags on the kitchen counter. She watched as he started to remove the contents of the bags, taking a seat at the island.

"Lucy," Jellal sighed. "Go change."

Lucy waved her hand. "I'm fine. Do you need any help?"

"You can help me by changing."

Lucy grumbled as she headed upstairs. She took off her clothes and threw on her pajamas. Instead of going back downstairs, she hopped onto her bed. Lucy stretched as she made herself comfortable. She stared at the ceiling for about fifteen minutes, letting her mind slip into nothingness. She hadn't had the chance to relax since Wendy's death, so letting her mind go blank for a while was a relief. She heard Jellal call her from the kitchen.

"Is the food ready?" she asked as she walked towards him.

"Almost." Jellal was tasting his handiwork. When he deemed it to be finished, he poured some soup in a bowl and handed it to Lucy. "Homemade chicken noodle, just the way you like it chicklit."

Lucy beamed as she got the bowl. The first bite was heaven for her. "This tastes like how my mom used to make it." She smiled down into her bowl. "Jellal, what made you want to become a cop?"

"Well, first off, detective. Second, there are two reasons." Jellal walked over to the sink and started washing the dishes. "I had a friend, before I met you and your family. She was my best friend." Jellal absentmindedly washed the dishes.

"One day, when I was about eight years old, I watched as she got pulled into a car. I ran after the car, shouting for help as I ran. They got away." He said the last part quietly. Lucy was surprised. She never knew about Jellal's life before she met him, but she never thought it would be anything like this. "I went to the police station to tell them about what happened. Surprisingly, most of the officers didn't believe an eight year old talking about a kidnapping. I came in everyday to ask about it." Jellal chuckled.

"No one listened to me – called me a delusional eight year old. One officer, however, did listen. He happened to be a detective. He overheard me and looked into it. Turns out, these people had been selling children as slaves on the black market. They managed to find the kidnappers and the children. When some of the children weren't accounted for, they searched further and found them dead."

Jellal wipes his hands on the kitchen towel and turned to Lucy with sad eyes. "My friend was one of them. If the police had just listened, she would still be alive." He sighed, not sure how to tell Lucy about this. "And the other reason, is your mom. To be quite honest with you Lucy, I'm not entirely sure if that shooting was an accident or on purpose. I've been looking into it ever since I became a detective."

Lucy looked at him shocked. She was never told the full details about her mother's death since her father wanted her to be protected, but she couldn't fathom someone killing her.

Right after Jellal finished, Lucy's father walked through the door hurriedly. "LU-cy…?" He began to shout for his daughter until he witnessed the scene before him. Jellal smiled and Lucy got out of her seat to hug her dad.

"Dad, how are you?" she asked into his chest.

"The more appropriate question would be how are you? Jellal called when I was in a meeting and spoke to my secretary. She told me that you have a fever." He began to feel her forehead, worried for his little girl's health.

"Dad, I'm fine," Lucy giggled as her dad started cupping her cheeks.

"If you were fine, I wouldn't have gotten such a call from Jellal." He turned to face the detective in the kitchen. "Thank you for taking care of her son, I appreciate it."

"No problem Mr. H." He turned to Lucy.

"I'll be checking up on you again later, chicklit." Jellal took off the apron he was wearing and set it on the kitchen counter. He grabbed his keys and jacket and headed out.

"Lucy why don't you go take a nap? You should rest, take some of the burden off your body."

Lucy smiled and headed up the stairs. She closed her room door and collapsed on her bed. She tried to hide it from Jellal and her father, but Lucy felt awful. She couldn't eat her food, the entire world was spinning, and her body felt heavy. She didn't know what was happening to her. Her sleep was broken at first. She constantly drifted in and out of sleep. Once she did fall asleep, she was drowning. She was in a dark lake and the more she tried to swim to the surface, the further it got from her. She began to panic, her body consumed in fear.

She awoke to her father shaking her around noon the next day.

"Lucy!"

She opened eyes, gasping for air. She groaned, thankful it was just a dream.

She was never woken up for dinner, nor did she wake up to her alarm. She bolted up right in bed and a cold, wet towel fell into her lap. She looked at her dad, his face full of concern.

"Just a dream." She saw him relax. "Dad, were you here all night?" Lucy asked, surprised.

"I was. I came to wake you up for dinner, but you still had a fever. I spent most of the night trying to bring your fever down." He placed the back of his hand on Lucy's forehead. "You seem better. I'll get you something to eat. Go take a shower." With that, Lucy's dad left her to get some food for her.

"Lucy!" Cana shouted as she walked over to everyone. They were always in the same spot under the giant oak tree at lunch, so Lucy had no trouble finding them. "The goody-two-shoes finally realized her life was too boring and decided to cut class today?"

Lucy laughed lightly. "No, I had a fever last night. My dad never woke me up this morning, but I insisted on finishing the rest of the day."

"Whatever you had, is it contagious?"

"Cana, it was a fever, not the plague. I can't get you sick, so don't think you can use that as an excuse to cut class." Lucy looked up to find Levy running towards her at full speed. They both landed painfully on the ground, but Levy would not let go of Lucy.

"I was so scared. Please don't do that again Lu. The worst thoughts kept running through my mind, and I was scared Jellal would come in and give me awful, awful news about you. I couldn't focus on anything. And you weren't answering your phone either." Levy was crying. She had been so stressed by the idea that whoever attacked Wendy had gone after Lucy. When she saw her standing there, she couldn't control herself.

Lucy managed to sit up. "Levy, I'm sorry to have worried you, but I was just sick." She continued to hug her friend while Cana tried to comfort her with words.

Gray cleared his throat. "Uh, Levy? Are you sure you want the new guy hanging out with us? He seems to be pretty popular." Lucy noticed how a large group of student surrounded him a little ways away from their location. They all wanted him to hang out with them during lunch. He didn't seem to mind the fuss though – in fact, he seemed to be enjoying it.

"Oh hell no." Cana got up and headed straight to the group. She grabbed the new kid's wrist and pulled him back to the tree. "Sit!" she ordered.

He laughed and chose to lean against the tree instead. "I never got the chance to introduce myself. I'm Natsu." He stood there, with his arms crossed in front of his chest and one leg bent in front of the other. He seemed pretty ordinary to Lucy – plain black shirt, jeans, and oddly enough, a scarf like object tied around his waist. Lucy noticed the piercings in his left ear better: one black stud in his cartilage, and two in his lower lobe, one black stud and one small, dangling cross.

Lucy gave him a weak smile. "Lucy."

Lucy noticed how Gray had been looking at Natsu: his eyes filled with doubt, his body tense, his jaw clenched.

"Hellooo, earth to Lucy?" Cana was waving her hand in Lucy's face. "Should you be back? It still seems like you aren't feeling well."

Lucy shook her head. She realized it was hard for her to focus on the world around her with Natsu's eyes weighing down on her. She cast her gaze on Levy, who was clinging to Lucy's arm. "I'm fine, don't worry. Just zoned out a bit. Anyway, Levy. Have you gotten any sleep?"

Levy hugged Lucy's arm tighter. "I can't. Every time I close my eyes, I can see her lying there. And then my mind changes the scene to be worse than what actually happened. Sometimes there's blood, sometimes I see the killer standing over her…I don't know, I just –" She trailed off.

"Levy, that's understandable. This isn't something you can just get over in a couple weeks. It was a traumatic experience for you, I would imagine that it's hard to get over." Lucy rubbed her best friend's back.

Lucy noticed Gray still glaring at Natsu. She cleared her throat. "So Natsu, where did you come from?"

"Here and there, it's not really that interesting." Natsu continued smiling as if he knew something nobody else knew.

"What's up with the group of people following you? You've been here for a day and a half and are already the most popular guy in school." Lucy could hear the disdain in Gray's voice as he addressed the new addition to the group. Lucy didn't understand if something happened between the two since Natsu got here.

"Are you jealous that people find me more interesting than you? Should I drop in a good word for you?" Natsu mocked. Gray just clenched his jaw even harder.

Lucy attempted to lighten the mood. "Well, at least you don't have to worry about not making any friends." She laughed lightly. Gray turned his attention back to Lucy, ignoring Natsu. Natsu continued to smirk at the back of Gray's head, pleased by his handiwork.

"Lu, you still feel kinda warm to me," Levy said, releasing her hold on Lucy. "Are you sure you should be here?"

"Yes, I need to be here." Lucy was determined to make it through the day. She never missed a day of school before and refused to let one small fever stop her. "I'm going to go talk to all the teachers I missed this morning." She stood up and gathered her things.

"I'll come with you," Gray said standing up.

Lucy looked at Levy who shrugged. "Um, okay." They walked back towards the cafeteria, silently. Lucy wanted to ask why he suddenly wanted to join her, but Gray began to speak before she had a chance to say anything.

"Look, I don't mean to intrude, but I am worried about you. You looked like you were going to pass out in class yesterday." Lucy smiled at Gray. "And I also wanted to talk to you about Natsu."

Lucy hummed in response.

"I want you to stay away from him."

Lucy looked at Gray from the corner of her eye. "Why?" She was curious as to why Gray seemed to dislike Natsu so much.

"I'm not quite sure what it is, but he's hiding something from us. I'm going to find out what it is and I don't want you anywhere near him when it happens."

Lucy slowed down. "Gray…"

"I'm telling you because Levy is too nice to see the bad in people and Cana likes him too much. Just keep your distance from him as best as you can until I can figure out what he's hiding." Gray turned to Lucy, the cold look in his eyes gone now. "Let's get to you teachers before lunch ends, you missed a lot today." Lucy walked behind Gray, still surprised from everything she was told. What could have happened that made Gray feel this way?


End file.
